It’s not like skateboarding where the conditions are always the same, where you can practice the same tricks over and over again until you get it.

In surfing the conditions are never the same, they’re constantly changing, and this is what makes it so difficult. Granted, some days everything just clicks, and you ride some of the best waves of your life.

Yet the very next day you’re having a shocker. You’ve no idea why you can’t even get to your feet, and why you’re kooking it the whole time.

If you aren’t lucky enough to be able to surf every day to keep your consistency up, you’ll need to find another way, or you’ll never improve.

So, what can you do?

Skateboarding, that’s what!

Why?

Well, it shares so many of the fundamental elements of surfing that you can practice over and over, regardless what the surf conditions are doing.

There aren’t too many sports where you can practice flow. Luckily though, skateboarding happens to be one of them.

Flow is initiated in the body, performed by gentle movements between your upper and low body, generating speed and forward momentum.

Practicing flow on a skateboard is an easy way to learn the biomechanics of surfing as you have complete control of your surroundings. With repetition, you’ll understand the effects of moving your body in relation to the way your board responds. Practicing this will teach you the principles for generating your own speed when you get back in the water.

2. Practice

Skateboarding is an awesome practice ground for your surfing. It allows to try out and experiment new carves, helps to visualize new lines and mimic similar movements to surfing in real life. Even better you are guaranteed to practice these maneuvers whenever you want and a much as you want, as you are not dependent on the same variables as surfing – wind, tides, swell etc

3. Style

Everything in surfing happens so fast. Oftentimes your ride is over in the blink of an eye.

As a beginner, all your focus is attention on not falling off, and you rarely spend any time on style. And let’s face it, everything just looks so much better with a bit of style. A bend of the knees, a flick of the hair 🙂

So, use skating to fine tune your style and get rid of that poo man style once and for all.

4. Fitness

Skateboarding uses very similar lower body muscle groups to surfing.

Strengthening and building endurance in these muscles will improve your surf fitness massively. I am a firm believer that fitness should be fun, and what better way to get an all-around workout than skateboarding.

5. Timing

Timing is everything in surfing. There are so many variables you have to deal with when your surfing that your timing and decision making has to be so on point.

Skating regularly will keep your timing honed in even when the surf is flat.

6. Focus

Both disciplines require focus. Without focus, you’re going to “eat it!”… A lot.

There won’t be too many comparisons to surfing when it comes to your reaction time but skating comes pretty close. Skating the bowl requires a very similar focus to surfing. One wrong move and there’s going to be some serious pain.

7. Commitment

Skating is all about commitment.

If you go into any trick half-heartedly you’ll fall and you’ll be in a world of pain. You have to be fully committed or you’re destined to fail. This translates perfectly to surfing.

Approaching a late drop, hitting a steep section, or doing a big floater all require one thing…

Commitment!

Hold back at your peril.

8. Repetition

The key to success is repetition, repetition, repetition.

Apparently, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a master at anything. So, unless you have an invite to Kelly’s wave pool then skating is going to be the next best thing. You can replicate and repeat the same movements time and time again so they become second nature.

9. Balance

Surfing is a unique type of balance that’s hard to replicate out of the water, but skating happens to be pretty damn close. By skating regularly you’ll notice a significant improvement when you’re back in the water.

10. Fun

Because if it’s not fun, what’s the point.

Skating is so much fun and opens you up to a whole other crew of likeminded frothers.

So, stop procrastinating. Get yourself a skateboard, and go tear it up.

You’ll be thanking me next time you hit the water. Yew!

Note: Before you head to the skatepark, download the skateboarding challenge worksheet here.

About

House of Surf was founded in 2017 by former WQS pro surfer Lauren Ringer, with the dream of creating the ultimate destination for recreational surfers seeking the highest quality instruction from the best in the industry using the latest technology.